The Cabin - A Spice Girls Backstreet Boys Crossover
by Kohala
Summary: A chill in the air, quiet tapping in the corner, and the unshakeable feeling that someone is watching. Simple things that can be written off as features of an old cabin and an overactive imagination, but while the Backstreet Boys and Spice Girls share a rustic cabin during preparations for their tour, Melanie C finds herself within the grips of something evil.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

A large, black sixteen passenger van slowly ascended the snow-covered hills of Cologne, transporting the members of the Backstreet Boys, the Spice girls, and their managers, Simon Fuller and Sam Church toward their destination. Behind them, a convoy of buses toting the dancers and crew followed close behind, occupying the otherwise empty road. The midday sun poured down over the snow blanketing the ground and the trees creating a spectacular show of glitter and iridescence completely missed by the van's occupants as they conversed excitedly about sports, current events, and pop culture.

The two managers had made plans to combine the two bands for a joint world tour, beginning in Europe at the Kohn Stadium in Germany and ending in America. The musicians had already spent a week together in London getting to know one another before setting off to Germany. In an attempt to keep the press at bay and keep the tour a secret during the two months in which rehearsals would take place, they'd opted to rent a location in a secluded area, rather than have the musicians reside in a hotel in the public eye.

They had found a cabin up in the mountains that was gated and secure from onlookers. Conveniently, there was a small village and ski resort a few miles down the mountain from the cabin with cottages for the crew to stay in, a spa, and a few shops for the tourists. The trailing vehicles turned off the road once they'd reached the village where the crew would be staying, leaving the musicians' vehicle alone to make the final trek up to the cabin.

The building was surrounded by snow covered trees and located in a remote area off the beaten path. It was a beautiful, rustic building tucked away in the mountains providing the musicians with enough privacy to wander the grounds without having to worry about being seen. The original architecture of the building itself, although updated and renovated, was nearly 600 years old and loomed impressively in the distance as the vehicles approached.

Although rarely used, it looked well-kept and the groundskeepers had already been through to remove the freshly fallen snow to welcome the guests to the facility. The van pulled into the driveway and the engine cut out, leaving the surrounding area completely silent until the doors were opened and the occupants stepped outside. The excited chatter spilled out of the vehicle, livening up the slumberous winter scene.

"All right, you lot," Simon announced as he and Sam got out of their vehicle. "Myself, Sam, and everyone else will be in the cabins we passed at the bottom of the hill. You can call my mobile if you need anything."

"You're not worried we're going to trash this place, then?" Mel humoured as she pulled her bag from the bus's luggage compartment.

"I paid for extra insurance," Simon replied, not picking up on Mel's sarcasm. He was focused on his mobile phone, not really paying attention to the musicians as they gathered their things from the back of the van. Mel set her bag on the sidewalk and put her hands on her hips, giving Simon a look of disdain, but he didn't look up from his phone as he walked past her and headed toward the cabin to help get everyone settled.

"Can't say I blame him," Emma giggled, grabbing Mel's hand and pulling her toward the cabin.

"This is so much better than staying at another hotel," AJ announced as he lifted one of his bags over his shoulder and lifted the other with his free hand. "Do we get to use those?" He nodded toward a few snowmobiles parked next to the garage.

"The keys are in the kitchen," Simon replied. "Please, be careful with them. The nearest hospital is twenty minutes away... if the roads are cleared." He unlocked the front door of the cabin and made a gesture to invite them in. "Have at it."

Everyone quickly toted their luggage toward the cabin and rushed inside. Mel was the first in the door and she quickly dropped her luggage, tore her boots from her feet, and rushed up the staircase.

"I get the room with the biggest bed!" she roared as she raced Emma to the second level of the house. The girls quickly claimed their rooms, followed by AJ, Howie, and Geri. Kevin, Brian, Victoria, and Nick disappeared down the main floor corridor in search of rooms for themselves, while Melanie opted to check out the basement. She lugged her bags down the staircase, opened the door at the bottom, and dropped her things at the foot of the stairs.

The basement was a large, open space with a king-sized bed, a lounge chair, a closet, a washroom, and a small attached room with a washer and dryer. The room was painted white with one wood panelled accent wall and the floor was blanketed with a plush cream coloured carpet. The ceilings were high, adding to the spaciousness of the room. The only windows were the two, small rectangular panes located in the laundry room, not allowing for much natural light, but numerous wall sconces provided more than enough illumination and a giant flatscreen TV was fastened to one wall. Melanie explored the room for a moment before unpacking her things into the closet and dresser and flopping onto the plush king-sized mattress.

"No fucking way!" Mel shouted as she bounded into Melanie's room. "This room is huge!"

"I've already claimed it," Melanie said with a sly grin.

"The view out my window is better anyway," snorted Mel as she hopped on the bed, leaning back against the wall and resting her legs across Melanie's stomach.

"Is it something like this?" Melanie asked, retrieving the remote from her bedside table and turning on the telly, which displayed a realtime image of the scenic view outside the cabin. She changed the input, displaying the same image, but months earlier when everything was green and warm. She smirked and grunted as Mel playfully squished Melanie's stomach beneath her legs. The two of them looked toward the staircase as Geri, Emma, and Victoria descended the stairs and looked at Melanie's room with awe.

"Nice!" said Emma with approval as she crawled onto the bed with the two girls. She sat next to Mel with her legs crossed, not wanting to squish Melanie any more than Mel already was.

"Aren't you going to be freaked out down here all by yourself at night?" Victoria asked, seeming a bit off put by the basement. "Especially with these staring at you? Who the hell did the decorating down here?" She walked over to the far end of the room where the dresser was situated against the wood panelled wall. On either side of the dresser were two oval wooden frames, each donning old sepia coloured images of unknown people, both expressionless, with their eyes staring directly at the camera so their gaze appeared to follow the occupants of the room. Victoria looked closely at one of the photos before shuddering and turning her back to it, making her way over to the bed with the other girls.

"I'm sure I'll be fine," Melanie snorted with amusement, rolling her eyes. Victoria was easily frightened by ghost stories and horror films. More than once, the other girls had been forced to go through Victoria's hotel rooms to look for intruders or ghosts before she went to bed. Victoria hated to be alone at night.

"I don't know," Mel added wickedly. "Tor's right. It is a bit creepy down here." She smiled evilly at Melanie and coyly bit the tip of her tongue.

"Fuck off," Melanie snorted. "You lot are just jealous. I've got all this space to myself and I've got a toilet and shower that I won't have to share with the lads." She smiled and pulled her hands behind her head. "I also won't have to listen to any of you lot snoring down the hall."

Emma grinned and grabbed one of Melanie's pillows, pulling it behind her head and moving to hit Melanie with it. Mel clenched her legs to keep Melanie pinned down and unable to do much to defend herself. Melanie cried out and held her arms in front of her to protect her face as Emma struck her with the pillow.

"Don't let us interrupt" said Nick as he came down the stairs two at a time and grinned at the girls. "Feel free to get rough and take each others clothes off, too. We can wait."

"Is that seriously what guys think girls do when no one's watching?" Geri snorted, rolling her eyes at Nick. Emma, Victoria, and Melanie looked at him with expressions of annoyance and disgust that mirrored Geri's. "You think we take any opportunity to get naked together and cop off?"

"I have made you lot snog me, so he's not far off" Mel laughed, tossing a pillow at Geri. Nick's jaw dropped and he stared at Mel with disbelief. She laughed and stuck her tongue out, biting down on it to make her piercing protrude more and raising one eyebrow suggestively.

"Be a good boy and maybe I'll let you have a go later," she purred before bursting into a belly laugh.

"Simon said there's to be nothing romantic or sexual between us lot," Emma warned sarcastically. "Until after the tour." Mel looked at her with mock fear and rolled her eyes, ducking just before a pillow hit her in the face. She laughed and grabbed Emma round the neck, pretending to choke her.

"We want to go into the city to see what's there and check out the venue before rehearsal," Howie explained as he joined them in the basement. "You girls want to come? We're probably going to grab dinner while we're out because the cooks don't come until tomorrow."

"I could do a bit of shopping," said Victoria, making her way toward the staircase.

"Ooh, me too," said Emma excitedly, pushing Mel away and climbing over Melanie. She raced after Victoria, followed by Geri and the guys as Melanie and Mel wrestled with one another to be the first one to the stairs. Everyone bundled back into their winter gear and headed out to the van, leaving Kevin to lock the cabin up behind them.

Enveloped in darkness, the house no longer looked warm and welcoming, instead seeming dark and ominous hidden amongst the trees. With the musicians enclosed within the van, the area was suddenly quiet once again. There was no birdsong, only the sound of the wind whipping through the bare branches of the trees and the dwindling sound of the van's engine as it departed.

-0-0-

The cabin was once again filled with a cacophony of conversations and boisterous laughter as the musicians returned from their excursion of shopping and a meal at one of Cologne's most prestigious restaurants. They'd been given a private room and were brought in through the staff entrance to keep the press and the other restaurant patrons from seeing the two bands together. It had been done at great effort, but the media and the general public were still completely unaware of the joint tour that was being planned.

While majority of the cabin's occupants had gathered in the kitchen and the sitting room for drinks and to watch a movie, Melanie had opted to go to her bedroom to settle in for the night. Of both the groups, she was always the earliest to bed and the earliest to rise. It had been a long, busy day and she couldn't wait to crawl into bed for the night.

She had showered and changed into her pyjamas before curling up on the squishy, leather lounge chair in her room. She put on her glasses and curled up to read a few chapters of a book to help herself wind down before bed. She turned out the lights, the only illumination coming from the lamps on the bedside table and next to the chair. A cold breeze from the vent at the base of the wall chilled the air and she pulled her feet onto the chair to keep them warm. A subtle tapping could be heard from within the vent, but she ignored it, assuming it was simply a noise the vents made as the air cooled for the night and the wood and metal expanded and contracted with the change in temperature.

As she got further into the chapter, her eyes began to grow heavy and she found she was no longer comprehending the words she was reading. She folded the corner of the page and set the book on the seat of the chair before making her way over to the bed. As she moved to turn off the lamp, the light hit something within the vent and grabbing her attention. She stared at the vent for a moment, curious. The breeze was causing something inside the vent to move and whatever it was was periodically catching the light from the lamp.

She cocked her head to the side and got off the bed to see what was causing the flickers of light. The vent was fastened to the wall with screws, but as she peeked through the grill, she could see something dangling inside, swinging back and forth, pushed by the cool breeze.

She sat back on her heels and looked around the room for something to loosen the screws. She retrieved her cabin key from the dresser and slid it into the slot, twisting one of the screws loose and removing it so she could slide the panel open.

She crouched low to see what was dangling within the vent. There was something metallic suspended quite far back and she had to get on her belly to extend her arm far enough to reach the object inside. She grasped around blindly, pressing herself tightly against the wall to reach in as far as she could. She hissed suddenly and pulled her arm out, looking at her hand and observing the cut across her palm where she'd dragged her skin along a sharp edge of the vent wall. She gritted her teeth and leaned down to look in the vent. She could see the object, but couldn't make out what it was.

Determined to retrieve whatever it was, she got on her belly once more and reached her hand into the vent. Visualizing where she'd seen the object, she felt around blindly, ignoring the feeling of blood trickling off of the edge of her palm. Her eyes widened excitedly as she gripped the object and she pulled against the wire it was attached to. The wire snapped, allowing her to pull the object from the vent.

She sat back and looked curiously at the brass key she'd extracted from the vent. She peered back into the vent to see if there was anything else inside before replacing the grill and fastening it into place using the cabin key to secure the screw once more.

She examined the key as she walked to the bathroom to wash the blood from her hand. She set the key on the vanity, then clutched a tissue in her palm as she searched the drawers and cupboards in the bathroom for a bandage. There was a first aid kit in the cupboard under the sink with antiseptic cream and bandages of various sizes. Once she'd dressed the wound, she took the key back to the bedroom and sat on the edge of the bed. Although she was curious to find something to use the key on, she was growing steadily more tired. She did a quick scan of the room, looking for obvious places where a key could be used, before setting the key on the bedside table and opting to search the room more thoroughly in the morning. She crawled under the duvet and turned off the lamp, dousing the room in darkness. She shivered against the cold night air and turned her to face the wall, closing her eyes and slipping immediately into welcomed unconsciousness.

Slowly, the other occupants of the cabin retired to their own rooms for the night. The sound of vibrant conversations died to quiet whispers then altogether silence apart from unintelligible murmurs and snoring. In the basement, the noises of the sleeping musicians upstairs was silenced. Within the darkness, the only sound was that of Melanie's rhythmic breathing and a quiet shuffling within the vent that made its way toward the grill Melanie had closed earlier before descending back into the depths of the walls.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Melanie got out of the shower and wrapped a towel around herself, squeezing the excess water from her hair into the sink. She could hear the sound of a chair scraping against the tile floor in the kitchen as the occupants of the cabin slowly began to wake up and get ready for the day. She wiped the fog away from the mirror to reveal her reflection and frowned as she noticed a blemish on her cheek. As she leaned in closer to get a better look, she saw something duck behind her. She gripped her towel tightly to keep from exposing herself and she quickly turned to see who had been standing behind her, but there was no one there.

Just as her heart rate began to slow back to normal, the mirror snapped. A large crack from top to bottom had appeared, slicing her reflection in half. She stared at the broken glass, trying to calm herself down and rationalize how the mirror had broken. Deciding it must have been due to the change in temperature within the room, she forced herself to relax and stepped out of the bathroom. She would tell Simon and Sam about the broken mirror when they arrived to pick up the two bands later.

She turned off the light and stepped out of the bathroom, walking past the laundry room door and the door to the stairs as she made her way over to the closet to pick out her outfit. As she pulled back one shirt after another, deciding what the wear, she heard something move across the floor behind her. She clutched her towel tightly to keep herself covered as she turned to look toward the door to the staircase, only to find she was still alone.

A chill ran through the room, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. Her heart was pounding quickly and she felt uneasy as she took a step to the side to see if someone had gone into the laundry room.

"Hello?" she squeaked, her voice giving away her unease. No one responded.

She exhaled shakily, forcing herself to calm down before turning back to the closet. As she zipped up her white Kappa track top, she turned toward the dresser to retrieve a pair of knickers and trousers. Forgetting about the old portraits on the wall, she gasped as she turned around and found herself face to face with the person within the frame. Startled, she took a step back, tripping over her towel and landing on her backside. She rolled her eyes and pushed herself back to her feet, inwardly chiding herself for being ridiculous. She was letting her mind play tricks on her because of what Mel had said earlier. She knew there was nothing to be scared of.

She pulled on a pair of black Adidas track bottoms and folded her towel, glancing back at the key that she'd retrieved from the vent the night before. She went back to the bathroom to hang up her towel, then sat on the edge of her bed, picking up the key and looking around the room for something immediately evident that could be unlocked. Not finding anything obvious, she twisted the key between her fingers, admiring the intricate design along the top. There was something written along the body of the key, but over time it had mostly worn off and it wasn't written in English. Not having time to fully investigate, she set it back on the table and made her over to the stairs.

The sound of something small hitting the carpeted floor behind her made her freeze before she could ascend the stairs. She turned around looked for the source of the noise, her eyes immediately drawn to the key on the floor a few meters from the bedside tabled where she'd placed it. She knew she had set it near the centre of the table. It hadn't been precariously dangling near the edge where it could fall, nor had it hit the floor and bounced to it's new location. She'd only heard it hit the floor once, so she couldn't understand how it was now so far away from where she'd put it.

She stared at it for a moment before slowly stepping away from the stairs and walking over to the key. She glanced up at the bedside table, then down at the key, trying to figure out how the key had ended up where it was. She was trying to stay rational, but her heart was pounding in her chest and her entire body was tense. She picked up the key and set it back on the bedside table, directly in the centre of the table and far away from the edge.

"Melanie."

She froze, looking up at the portraits on the wall where the whispered voice had originated from. She held her breath and scanned the room in front of her, keeping her body completely still.

"Melanie?" Victoria's voice called from the top of the stairs. Footsteps could be heard quickly padding down the carpeted stairs and Victoria soon appeared at the door. "Oh, good. You're up. Simon called and said they're gonna take us out for an early brekkie right away. We're having a bit of an earlier start this morning."

Melanie nodded, trying to collect herself as she got to her feet.

"You all right?" Victoria asked. "You look totally freaked out."

"I'm fine," Melanie replied, her voice coming out strained. She cleared her throat, repeating herself to assure Victoria she was all right. She didn't want to tell Victoria about what she'd just seen, or what she thought she'd seen that morning. As she had begun to relax, she started to wonder if she'd just let her mind play tricks on her.

She followed Victoria, turning off the light behind her before ascending the stairs. With the room completely shrouded in darkness, she felt as though someone was watching her. She refused to look back, forcing herself to slow her pace to prove to herself there was nothing to fear in the basement.

Kevin, Howie, and Brian were already in the kitchen, sitting at the table drinking coffee as they waited for Simon and Sam to arrive. They smiled and greeted Melanie as she and Victoria sat down and helped themselves to some tea.

They could hear Nick apologize profusely upstairs and the sound of hurried footsteps descending the stairs and racing toward the kitchen. His cheeks were flushed with colour as he entered the room and sat at the table, looking completely flustered. Melanie glanced up at Victoria knowingly and snorted back a laugh, pulling her mug of tea closer.

"Sorry," Victoria giggled. "Geri doesn't close the door when she's in the loo. You get used to it."

The boys in the kitchen, apart from Nick, burst into raucous laughter as they pictured Nick walking in on Geri, completely naked and sitting on the toilet.

Slowly, everyone trickled into the kitchen for coffee and tea, Mel B, Emma, and AJ stepping outside for a quick smoke before their managers arrived to pick them up. As Geri walked into the room, Nick ducked his head, colour rising to his cheeks once more. She greeted everyone cheerfully, immediately approaching Nick and wrapping her arms around him from behind.

"You would think you've never seen a pair of boobs before," she laughed as she kissed his cheek and pressed her breasts against his back. "No need to be shy, darling. They don't bite."

"The whole world's seen Geri's boobs," Victoria humoured.

"When they're this good, why hide them?" Geri laughed, sitting next to Nick and pouring herself a coffee.

"I'm starving!" Emma groaned as she stepped back inside with Mel and AJ and searched through the kitchen cupboards, leaving all of the doors open behind herself. She pulled out a jar of peanut butter and grimaced "Ew. Do you lot actually eat this?"

Nick looked at her with disbelief, the embarrassment he'd been feeling immediately washed away. "That's a fucking American delicacy!" he exclaimed incredulously. "It's delicious!"

Brian quickly stopped Emma as she moved to put the peanut butter back in the fridge. He grabbed the jar and guided her over to the table with his arm around her shoulders.

"Hold on, I've heard about this," he stated excitedly. "I saw a video of some guy from England that tried peanut butter for the first time and totally puked. We're testing this right now."

He grabbed a few slices of bread from the bread box and retrieved a jar of jelly from the fridge, quickly putting together a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

"You mix the two together?!" Victoria stated with disgust. "No, thank you. Peanut butter on its own is vile."

"I'm not taking 'no' for an answer," Brian stated, slicing it into five pieces for the girls. He set the plate in the centre of the table and stared at the girls expectantly. "We're officially giving you a proper American initiation," He grinned at the girls as he leaned back against the cupboard and folded his arms over his chest. Each girl, apart from Victoria, took a piece of the sandwich and stared at it with disgust.

"King dare," Mel said with a sly grin as she sat next to Melanie. She knew Melanie wouldn't turn down a competition.

"Fucking hell," Melanie groaned, pulling the sandwich open to examine it.

Emma was the first to take a bite. She chewed slowly and casually shrugged before taking another bite. "It's not Nutella, but it's not too horrible," she said with her mouth full. Victoria shook her head and stood up to close all of the kitchen cupboards as Geri took a bit of her sandwich and grimaced.

"Ugh, that's terrible!" she groaned, spitting the sandwich into a napkin and swigging back her coffee to cover the taste.

"On three?" Melanie sighed, looking at Mel apprehensively. The girls counted down and simultaneously bit into their sandwiches. Mel immediately spat the sandwich into her hand and cried out with disgust while Melanie chewed slowly with a look of revolt on her face.

"Spit it out, Melanie. You're going to make yourself sick," Victoria warned, watching Melanie chew slowly with a look of disgust on her face. Melanie set the rest of her piece of sandwich on the plate and held up her pointer finger, signalling Victoria to wait. She looked away and concentrated on not puking up the sandwich.

"Oh, my god. You can't be serious?" said Nick with disbelief. Melanie nodded and moved to the rubbish bin to spit out the sandwich. She held on to the bin and waited, not trusting her stomach to keep the sandwich down.

"Go on, do it!" Mel laughed. She pretended to gag, hoping to get Melanie to puke, but Melanie quickly looked away and shook her head.

"Fuck off!" she grumbled. Mel threw her head back and cackled as Melanie spat into the bin once more. She looked over at Brian and grimaced as he scooped peanut butter from the jar and put the entire spoon in his mouth.

"You seriously eat this?" Mel asked with disbelief. "What's wrong with you?" She walked over to the rubbish bin and chucked her spat-out sandwich into the bin right under Melanie's face. Melanie stood up and glared at her with disgust.

"Pretty much," Nick replied with a shrug as he took the piece of sandwich Victoria hadn't eaten. He moaned with pleasure and winked at the two Melanies.

"You're disgusting," Geri chuckled.

"Do we have Marmite?" Mel asked, opening a few cupboards in search of the little, brown, glass jar. "It's only fair you lot try some of that now."

"I've already tried that," Brian stated. "I'm out."

"Forget putting it on toast," Geri said, as Mel found a jar of Marmite and slid it across the table toward Nick. "I dare you to eat an entire spoonful."

"Bring it on!" Nick laughed.

Simon and Sam entered the kitchen as an eruption of laughter broke out amongst the musicians. Nick had his body draped over the kitchen sink and was puking up the Marmite he'd swallowed. Wanting to prove to the girls they couldn't scare him, he'd loaded up a spoon full of Marmite and consumed the whole thing.

"Hold his hair!" Brian laughed, doubling over and sliding to the floor, laughing so hard he was struggling to breathe. Howie was standing next to Nick, scraping back Nick's hair and holding it back as Nick retched loudly, his body contracting to expel the condiment.

Mel was laughing so hard she slid out of her chair, causing it to tip over and hit the tile floor and making the musicians laugh harder.

"I'm gonna wee myself," said Melanie, trying to catch her breath between giggles. She pushed herself out of her chair and raced out of the room to the toilet before her bladder could burst. Simon and Sam stepped aside and Simon rolled his eyes.

"Our mistake was leaving them unsupervised," he sighed, looking over at Sam, his expression unamused.

"All right, show time, folks!" Sam shouted over the laughter. "Game faces on, let's head out!"

The musicians slowly collected themselves, still chuckling quietly as Nick poured a bit of bleach in the sink and rinsed out the mess he'd made. Simon shook his head and rolled his eyes once more, stepping out of the kitchen as the musicians put their mugs in the dishwasher.

He stopped upon seeing Melanie standing in the centre of the room with her back to him. Her fists were clenched tightly at her sides and she was staring at the staircase to the basement. Sensing something was wrong, Simon slowly approached her, taking in the look of fear on her face and her strained inhalations.

"Melanie, you all right?" he asked softly, placing his hand on her shoulder and looking back at the stairs to see what she was looking at. Sam and the remaining musicians slowly trickled into the room, looking at Simon and Melanie with confusion.

"What are you looking at, darling?" Simon asked curiously, moving his focus back to Melanie, not seeing whatever it was she was staring at. "Melanie? Talk to me."

Her focus slowly moved to Simon and the fearful expression on her face slowly faded to a look of confusion.

"Hey, can you hear me?" Simon asked softly. Melanie nodded shakily, looking back at the empty staircase. She could have sworn she'd seen someone peeking around the corner of the staircase earlier, but now she wasn't sure if she'd just been seeing things. The room seemed to be closing in on her and the voices of the people around her were muffled. She could hear Simon telling her to breathe as the walls began to close in on her and she felt as though she was sinking into the floor.

Simon quickly caught Melanie as her body collapsed. He gently guided her to the floor and pulled her onto her side as Sam and the other girls raced over to them.

"What happened?" Emma gasped, kneeling next to Melanie and pulling Melanie's hand into hers.

"Give her some space, girls," Simon instructed. "Just give her a second. You lot just got a bit too worked up is all."

The girls slowly stepped back a few feet, watching Melanie's chest heave as her body tried to pull in the air she'd been momentarily deprived of. As she began breathing normally, her eyes slowly opened and she stared at the space in front of her.

"Take it easy," Simon instructed, gently running his hand along Melanie's back and shoulder. She looked up at him and frowned, the last few minutes of her memory gone, leaving her unaware of why she was on the floor.

"Simon?" she squeaked. He nodded and gently helped her sit up, leaning her back against the sofa and directing one of the girls to get Melanie some water as he guided Melanie to pull her knees to her chest.

"How are you feeling?" Simon asked, taking the glass of water Victoria was handing him.

"Fine," Melanie replied, looking at Simon with confusion. "What happened?"

"I think you were just having a bit too much fun," Simon replied. "One minute you lot were laughing your heads off, then you were holding your breath. The two don't really go well together." He passed her the water, holding his hands near hers in case she lost her grip on the glass. She slowly took a sip of water and looked up at her friends who were all watching her with concern.

"Were you looking at something?" Simon asked, pulling Melanie's attention back to him. She frowned, not understanding his question. "You were staring at something over there," he explained, nodding toward the staircase. "Or were you just zoned out for a second?"

"I don't remember," Melanie replied honestly, glancing over at the stairs and trying to jog her memory. Simon nodded, encouraging to drink some more water and watching her closely, determining if he should take her to a doctor or if what had happened was just a one time thing.

"We should take you to eat something," he said, taking in her tiny frame up close. "Did you have dinner last night?" She nodded and let Victoria take the glass from her so Simon could help her to her feet.

"It wasn't much," Melanie confessed, "but I did eat a bit."

"Maybe you should have a bit more for breakfast to make up for it," Simon suggested, guiding Melanie over to the closet to get her jacket and monitoring how steady she was as she walked.

"Ok," Melanie responded, retrieving her jacket and pulling her trainers onto her feet. The remaining girls and the boys slowly followed suit.

Still slightly shaken, the musicians were drastically quieter than normal as they flooded out of the cabin and into the van. Melanie stared back at the cabin, unassuming amongst the snow covered trees, and she rubbed the plaster over her palm with her thumb as it began to sting.

"What happened?" Emma asked, pulling Melanie's hand toward her to get a better look at the plaster.

"Nothing," Melanie replied, still looking back at the cabin, half expecting something or someone to appear in one of the windows. "It's just a scratch."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The silence within the empty cabin was interrupted by conversations and laughter as the guys and the girls burst through the front door, returning sweaty and tired from a day of rehearsals. Coats and boots were littered across the entry way, some neatly put away, others dropped in the most convenient place by their wearers.

The sitting room and kitchen were suddenly illuminated as lights were switched on and the unruly group of musicians scattered throughout the main socializing areas of the cabin. Some immediately melted into the couches while others made a beeline for the kitchen to raid the fridge and cupboards.

Kevin sank into one of recliners in the den and pulled the lever to recline and put his feet up as he watched Nick and Brian practicing the choreography for Everybody (Backstreet's Back). The rest of the musicians had scattered around the cabin after a long day of rehearsals and interviews to promote their separate singles. They kept quiet about the upcoming tour, not wanting to alert the press to the preparations they were doing while in Germany.

Mel and Geri curled up on the couch together to poke fun at the boys as they rehearsed. As the girls giggled, both boys stopped dancing and eyed each other slyly before breaking into the choreography for the chorus of Stop. Everyone in the room broke into fits of laughter as Brian wiggled his bum and Nick pretended to flip his hair back.

"I think if I rehearsed any longer I'd go insane," AJ groaned as he leaned against the door frame of the kitchen. "You two are nuts."

"I'm just helping Nick," Brian joked. "This kid has a lot of work to do."

"Hey!" said Nick, pretending to be offended as he wrapped his arm around Brian and messed up his hair. The two boys wrestled around in the middle of the room while Mel and Geri cheered them on.

Wanting to calm the atmosphere and relax for a bit, Howie browsed through the collections of old records in the corner of the room, selecting one and placing it on the turntable. As he flicked the switch, the room was flooded with the warm, crackling sound of Louis Armstrong's Dream a Little Dream.

Everyone looked back at Howie, surprised by the sudden ambiance in the room. He shrugged and smirked, leafing through the rest of the record collection.

"What are you lot doing down here?" Emma asked with amusement as she and Melanie appeared from the kitchen to check out what was going on in the den.

"Dance practice," AJ replied. He walked toward the staircase and bowed, offering his hand to Melanie. "M'lady." Melanie fanned her face with one hand, pretending to be surprised and giddy by his offer, and she placed her free hand on his. He guided her into the room and led her into a basic waltz. She giggled and followed his lead, allowing herself to be turned and lifted to the music. They both had backgrounds in dance and easily flowed from basic turns to more advanced choreography.

"Go, Melanie!" Emma cheered as she slipped around them and squeezed on the couch with Geri and Mel.

Brian elbowed Nick in the rib and grinned before bowing and taking Nick's hand to imitate AJ and Melanie.

"Dude, why am I the girl?" Nick snorted as the two of them clumsily attempted to dance together. Mel and Geri burst into fits of giggles as Nick stepped on Brian's foot as the two of them fought to take the lead.

AJ spun Melanie around and pulled her close. He bent one knee and leaned forward, dipping her backwards. With their faces just inches apart, their eyes locked and, for a moment, they were the only people in the room. Their smiles faded and both of them slowly moved in to kiss each other. They froze suddenly, realizing everyone in the room had gotten quiet and were staring at the two of them. Melanie's cheeks flushed and AJ quickly lifted her upright, clearing his throat and taking a step away from her.

Mel purred loudly, raising her eyebrows at Melanie suggestively and giggling. "Oy, you two," she warned with a grin, "Simon and Sam said no romantic relationships until after the tour." Geri slapped her arm, knowing Melanie was already embarrassed.

"What else is there, Howie?" Kevin asked, wanting to take the attention off of AJ and Melanie before things got out of control. Howie removed the record, replacing it with Stevie Wonder's You Haven't Done Nothin'.

"I love that one!" Melanie exclaimed, joining Howie by the turntable to look through the old records. Brian nudged Nick and counted out a beat, then the two proceeded to shuffle and grapevine. Mel grabbed Geri by the hand and joined the boys, creating a dance party in the middle of the den. Emma and Melanie joined in while AJ and Howie took on the role of DJs, switching up the music with songs by Elvis Presley, The Beatles, and Michael Jackson. Victoria joined the group from the kitchen where she'd been on the phone with her mum, and Kevin got up off the couch to dance as well.

As the night wore on, the energy amongst the group progressively faded. The turntable was abandoned, left to play an Etta James record in full as the musicians curled up on the couches together. Victoria and Howie had excused themselves to shower and call it a night, leaving Geri, Mel, AJ, Brian, Kevin, and Nick conversing quietly with the lights dimmed. Melanie had fallen asleep earlier with her head on Mel's lap and her legs draped over Geri's lap and Emma had fallen asleep soon after, curled up alone on the recliner.

Gradually the group dwindled even further. Brian, AJ, and Nick called it a night, bidding the rest of the group goodnight as the separated to their own rooms. The record ended, leaving the room strangely quiet and empty.

"I don't think I can stay up any longer," Kevin yawned as he stretched his arms above his head and yawned. "Do you need help with these two?"

"If you wouldn't mind," Geri replied tiredly. "Melanie won't be difficult, but Emma's out for the night, I'm afraid." Kevin smiled sleepily and nodded, getting up and tucking one arm under Emma's knees and the other behind her shoulders. She barely stirred as he lifted her off the chair and carried her effortlessly upstairs to her room.

"Wake up, you," said Mel, running her fingers through Melanie's hair. "Time for bed, sleepyhead."

Geri stretched and shifted out from under Melanie's legs, causing Melanie to groan and shift in her sleep. She squinted and rubbed her eye with the palm of her hand, then looked at the girls with confusion, momentarily forgetting where she was.

Geri giggled and pulled Melanie upright so she was sitting next to Mel. "Come here, darling," she instructed softly, hoping she could take Melanie to bed without her fully waking up.

"What are we doing?" Melanie mumbled slightly incoherently.

"We're taking you to bed," Geri replied. "Come on up." She pulled Melanie to her feet and wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her close.

"We're making sure you get to bed without any male accompaniment," Mel added, grinning smugly. Geri shushed her and shook her head, trying to discourage her from teasing Melanie any further.

"What time is it?" Melanie asked, slowly become more aware of her surroundings and what was happening.

"Nearly three," Geri replied. "Just relax and try not to wake up too much, all right? Close your eyes. We've got you."

"I'm awake," Melanie sighed, her eyes drooping tiredly. Geri smirked and nodded to Mel to grab Melanie's glasses and help take Melanie downstairs. Mel slid Melanie's glasses into her back pocket and took Melanie's free arm, wrapping it over her shoulders as the three of them walked slowly down the stairs.

Geri and Mel led Melanie to her bed and coaxed her out of her jeans and socks before tucking her into bed. Still half asleep, Melanie let her eyes slide shut and curled into the duvet, completely unaware of Geri kissing her cheek and slipping her hair out of the elastic that had been pulling it back into a topknot. Mel headed upstairs as Geri turned off the lights and closed the door at the bottom of the stairs, leaving it open a few inches.

Melanie sighed and rolled over, turning her back to the door. Hearing someone whisper her name, she groaned and mumbled a half-hearted response.

"Melanie?"

"What?" she groaned, turning back to see who was calling her. Both Geri and Mel had already ascended the stairs and switched off the light over the staircase, leaving Melanie in total darkness. Assuming she'd imagined them calling to her, Melanie turned toward the wall once more, relaxing into the mattress.

"Melanie?"

She groaned and pulled her arm up over her ear, shutting out the voice as she slipped back into unconsciousness.


End file.
